Happy Halloween!!!!

Hello and Happy Halloween!

I created this card for my friend Verda, but after it was finished I knew that this wouldn't work as she has very poor eyesight and I could see that the image and the background would all blend together when she looked at it! She uses a magnifying glass to look at the cards I make for her and has her visiting nurse describe the detail to her. I needed to fix this problem - what to do?


I knew I needed a lighter color behind the little witch to create a contrast between her and the background paper - but nothing I tried gave me the answer to the problem and also looked like it was part of the planned layout of the card. I tried different colors and shapes of CS, different stamp images - nothing worked. I had almost given up and accepted the fact that I would have to make her a different card (I could have made two cards in the time I spent stamping, cutting and then discarding in trying to solve this problem.)

Then I found this little ghost stamp that I had never used and forgotten I had. Could that work?

It did! To give some balance to the white of the little ghosts so it didn't look top heavy I added some grass with the lighter green CS and then a narrow stip of black - and I was very happy with the results.

Thanks for stopping by today! Wishing you lots of good Halloween treats!

Barbara Diane

A Quick and Fun Halloween Card

Hello!

I very seldom use a purchased accessory but these fun little ghosts were just too cute to pass up and combined with this great paper and black CS created a quick and fun card!

Thanks for stopping by! I can't believe that Halloween is here already!

Barbara Diane

Dustin Pike Challenge

Hello!

Those of you who visit my blog know that my oldest son Jim lives in a group home and loves all kinds of arts and crafts. He is very artistic and creative and has his own style in which he makes many creations for me and for family and friends. He loves glitter - loves it! I have to keep my Sickles supply filled for when he comes to visit and works on his projects. He also loves bright colors - the brighter the better - red, yellow, orange and purple are some of his favorites. He loves coloring with markers and is a detail person as his mother is. I keep a box of markers here for him to use when he comes to visit and he also 'borrows' mine. :<)

This Halloween he asked for a "Spooky" card - one with scary Halloween characters. And because he loves the posters I make, I thought I would make him a small poster card using a 81/2 x 11 CS as the base. I recently landed on Dustin Pike's blog and fell in love with his whimsical style of art and knew that his Halloween characters were perfect for Jim's card as I could color them with all of the bright colors Jim loves! Dustin has a "All Things Shiny" challenge currently on his blog so I also used the card as my entry as I used LOTS of sparkly for Jim!

I gave the card to Jim yesterday and he loves it - I hope that you also enjoy. Drop over to Dustin's blog to see all of his wonderful art work and great card samples! He is most generous with his freebies images and I have taken advantage of this gift! Thank you Dustin!

Jim's 1st Favorite


Jim's 2nd Favorite

Thanks for stopping by today! Wishing you a great weekend!

Barbara Diane

More Photos Tomorrow!

hello!

I jumped the gun today and entered this in a challenge without thinking that I of course had to put it on my blog! This was to be Friday's post Soooooo I will have more photos tomorrow.

Sorry! It seems either I am behind or ahead!

Barbara Diane

A Witch and Bats Are Added To My Door Poster

Hello!

Today I have added my favorite witch and some bats to my door poster. I had so much fun making her for my friend's poster yesterday that I had to add one to my poster. I just love coloring her!

This is before:
The Witch of the West by Mo Manning:
Add her and some flying bats to the poster - and this is now.

Thanks for stopping by today! Wishing you some smiles today!

Barbara Diane

WOYW Wednesday

Hello!

Today my photo of What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday is pretty lame and not at all what I was planning to post! I had taken photos that also showed part of my work area as well as my desk and when I went to post this morning all I had was this close up. I must have deleted those photos from my camera when I took new ones without checking first. Lesson learned! So here is all I have today but you can see on my post from yesterday what one of my finished projects was.

Thanks for stopping by today - be sure to check out the other many wonderful WOYW entries at The Stamping Ground http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com/ Wishing you a good one!

Barbara Diane

A Halloween Poster and Mo Manning Challenge

Hello!

Better late than never - again! I wanted to post this yesterday but these posters take a long time to make! I get in the zone when designing one and then with the coloring with markers!

The theme of Mo's Challenge this week was "Favorite Mo image PLUS a sentiment" and as there is no way that one can pick ONE 'favorite' from Mo's wonderful images, I used three of my favorite Mo images - the Witch of the West, Mummy and one of the Tall Houses - and the pumpkins are from Twick or Tweet. I love making the posters - hope that you like it!

Thanks for stopping by! Wishing you a good evening!

Barbara Diane

Two of the Greatest Qualities of Life

Hello!

My friend Anna sent me this. Love it!

Two of the greatest qualities in life are: PATIENCE and WISDOM

Thanks for stopping by today! Wishing you a day filled with both of the above!

Barbara Diane

Another Mix 'N Match Halloween Card

Hello!

It is Friday again! I lost most of this week with appointments and issues and where do the days go! It was very cold here in this part of WI this morning but the sunshine has warmed it up quite a bit. I think tomorrow is to be nice, in the low 60's again and then rain on Sunday. I dread the morning that will soon be here when I have to scrap the frost from the car windshield and start that routine all over again! I love Spring and Fall and without Summer heat/humidity and Winter cold/snow I couldn't have them so I guess I best just shut up about it! :<)

My card today is another mix of stamps and supplies that I have. It turned out cute and I will soon have all the cards that I need to send this year. Then on to the Christmas cards!

Thanks for stopping by today! Wishing you a safe and happy weekend!

Barbara Diane

Fun Halloween Thank You Cards

Hello!

Two fun 'thank you' cards I had to make and deliver this morning - each with a small bag from the bakery with a Halloween cookie inside. They are a combination of different stamps I had on my work table and easy to make - I stamped them last night so the glitter could dry and then cut out and assembled this morning. The bakery smelled so good - it is so cold outside and windy today!


Thanks for stopping by today! Wishing you a bakery treat! I purchased a glazed cake donut for myself - couldn't resist my favorite!

Barbara Diane

Oh, We're Off To See The Wizard . . . .

. . . . . the wonderful wizard of Oz!

Hello!

The theme this week on Mo's Challenge Blog is "Inspired by a Song" - and as I have been wanting to use these wonderful images of Mo's for a long time now and had them sitting by my work table - this song immediately came into my mind. And has been going through my mind since then I might add! The images are so happy and so is this song! I had a great time making this poster using one of the backgrounds from the movie. I hope you enjoy!

You can find all of these awesome characters at http://www.digitalpenciltoo.blogspot.com/ I know that I will be using them many more times in the future! I absolutely love them all! Be sure to check out the amazing challenge entries at http://mosdigitalchallenge.blogspot.com/ and enter YOUR creation!

Thanks for stopping by today! For all of you who e-mailed me or left comments of prayers for Katie - thank you! Big hugs to you for your kindness.

Barbara Diane

Katie Needs Your Prayers

Please pray for Katie. She is fighting so hard now! She needs a miracle and I believe that prayers can help to bring this about. Her husband Kevin is posting updates on Katie's blog and you can read them here http://katiespaperhaven.blogspot.com/

One of the artists who donated their work in the first fund raiser for Katie was Lori Boyd and it was of Katie's 3 boys - the youngest are twins. It is one of my favorite images and was one of the first I used to make the card above to send to Katie. You can read of a fund raiser now being held by Lori on her blog LORI Designs at http://byloridesigns.blogspot.com/

Thanking you in advance for your prayers for this special young woman.

Barbara Diane

My 2011 Halloween Poster For My Door

Hello!

Well, our sunshine is still out today in this part of WI but it is very cold! It is only 47 this morning and the high today is to be 58 - a far cry from the 80's we had been enjoying! Yesterday we had rain and it was cold and wet but today it is the perfect Fall day - beautiful sunshine, leaves still colorful but falling everywhere and a nip in the air. It makes me think of Halloween weather for the first time this year.

And this is my Halloween 2011 poster for the door of my apartment. Last year I made my poster featuring the Owl Forest and added a little owl trick or treater every day all month long but this year I loved Mo Manning's image "Witches Trick" so much I had to make my poster centered around her! Mo's "Tall Houses" were perfect for the setting for this scenerio and I used two of them as background in this scene. I once again used the leaves and vines from the image "Katie's Love Swing" from Make It Crafty to create the grasses and bushes around the houses.

The two trick or treaters are Mo's "Mummy" - who isn't quite sure what to make of this old woman - even if she is holding a large gingerbread man cookie! His big brother, who just leaving the house they were just at, is from Mo's "Twick or Tweet" and he is also sizing up the situation - the old woman's house does look a bit creepy. The witch's cat lying on the front stairs is Mo's "Cheshire Cat' and looking out of the window upstairs is the little cat from Mo's "Alli Wants In. The moon is from her Wynken, Blynken and Nod" - what a wonderful combination of images these made for my poster!

Thanks for stopping by today! Wishing you sunshine!

Barbara Diane